Characters of Crime and Punishment: Russian Names Before you begin Crime and Punishment, there is something you should understand about Russian names. Every character in Crime and Punishment has a special sort of middle name, called a patronymic, that is formed from the father’s first name. For sons, the patronymic is formed by adding –ovitch to the father’s first name; for daughters, the patronymic is formed by adding –ovna to the father’s first name. Thus Rodion, the son of Roman Raskolnikov, becomes Rodion Romanovitch Raskolinikov, and his sister, Avdotya, becomes Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikov. Characters in the novel often refer to one another by first name and patronymic without bothering to mention last names – don’t allow this to confuse you. Also, be aware that several characters in the novel have nicknames in addition to their christened names, so Rodion and Rodia are actually the same person. Because the Russian alphabet is different from the Roman alphabet we use in English, various translations may have different spellings of a character’s name. For example, Raskolnikov’s sister’s name may be spelled Dounia, Dunya, or Dounya. The Marmeladovs’ oldest child may be Sonya or Sonia. Below is a list of characters in Crime and Punishment. I have included a clumsy but hopefully helpful guide to the pronunciation of each, as well as nicknames [in brackets] where applicable. (?) indicates the name is not given. Rodion Romanovitch Raskolnikov (Roe-dee-uhn Roe-mahn-o-vitch Rahz-cole-nih-kawv) [Rodya, Roddy, Rodenka, Rodka] an impoverished student whose reason and conscience are often at odds with one another. His name is derived from the Russian word raskol, which means ‘split or divided.’ Alyona Ivanovna (?) (All-yo-nuh Ee-vah-Nove-na) A wealthy but nevertheless miserly old pawnbroker. Semyon Zaharovitch Marmeladov (Semm-yun Zah-har-o-vitch Mar-muh-LAD-ov) A drunkard Rodion meets in a bar. His name is Russian for ‘marmelade’ or ‘jam.’ Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladov (Kaht-uh-ree-na Ee-vah-nove-na Mar-muh-LAD-ov) Marmeladov’s second wife, a woman of noble birth who has fallen into poverty. She suffers from consumption, or tuberculosis, and often coughs up blood. Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladov (Sofe-yah Sem-yon-ove-na Mar-muh-LAD-ov) [Sonia] Marmeladov’s daughter from his first marriage. She no longer lives with the rest of the family since the landlady, Leppeveschel, evicted Sonia upon learning the girl had resorted to prostitution to earn money for food. She now rents a room from a man named Kapernaumov (Cap-ur-now-mov). Her name (Sofya) comes from the Greek sophia meaning ‘wisdom.’ Amalia Ivanovna Leppeveschel (Ah-mah-lya Ee-vahn-ove-na Lep-uh-vake-sull) The Marmeladovs’ landlady. Katerina Ivanovna occasionally insults Leppeveschel by calling her “Amalia Ludwigovna,” suggesting her father was a German of questionable descent and not a Russian count as she claims.